The sprint is a prologue to the pursuit; the men covering 10km (3
laps of a 3.3 km loop) and the women 7.5km (3 laps of a 2.5 km loop).

During the cross-country ski, with a rifle strapped to their back, all
competitors stop twice and have to hit all five targets with five bullets; enduring a ski
around the 150m penalty loop for each target missed.

Germany's Frank-Peter Roetsch became the first biathlete to win
two gold medals in one year at the Calgary 1988 Winter
Olympics.

After making his first appearance in Sarajevo
1984, where he earned a silver medal in the 20km race, Roetsch won the gold medal in
the same event in Canada; despite missing three targets. Three days later the German
finished first in the 10km race; even though he missed a target again and was forced to
ski the 150m penalty loop.

With two gold, four silver and three bronze Ursula Disl has won
more medals than any other women in the Olympic biathlon.

In Albertville 1992 and Lillehammer 1994 Disl skied for the German team that
finished second in the relay. She also collected an individual 15km bronze medal in
Norway. Over to Canada for the Calgary 1988 Winter
Olympics and Ursula Disl collected another bronze in the 15km individual event and a
silver at 7.5km; six days later. It was the relay that would bring Disl her first gold
medal; after a somewhat hindered start, when she dropped a ski pole.

At the age of 31, in Salt Lake
City 2002, Disl failed to win a third medal in the 15km but made up for it by
collecting silver in the 7.5km and another team gold in the relay.

Norway's Ole Einar Bjoerndalen went one better in Turin 2006 (with silver in the 20km and 12.5km pursuit, and
bronze in the 15km mass start), to take his total medal haul to nine; having won gold in
all four biathlon events in Salt Lake City 2002
and two medals in Nagano 1998.